


Something Had to Break

by whumpsie_daisy



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Broken Bones, FebuWhump2021, Gen, Hurt Link (Legend of Zelda), Hurt/Comfort, Mind Control, Whump, febuwhumpday16
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-16
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-18 19:14:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29494869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whumpsie_daisy/pseuds/whumpsie_daisy
Summary: It was supposed to be a simple training session for the Divine Champions. That’s how the king had phrased it anyway. But what had started out as just that now felt very much the opposite.All it had taken was an unnoticed pool of malice, a sign of Ganon’s growing power in the land, and a misstep from Daruk. The malice had smothered the Goron Champion in seconds, covering him with its shifting ichor. As the malice had crept over his face, his eyes had snagged on a bright blue tunic and a sword which glinted in the sunlight, and Daruk gave a mighty roar.When Daruk gets corrupted by malice during a routine training session, Link ends up getting injured. Something breaks between the Champions of Hyrule, but it might just bring them closer together.
Relationships: Link & Mipha (Legend of Zelda), Link & Zelda (Legend of Zelda)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 55
Collections: febuwhump 2021





	1. Something Had to Break

**Author's Note:**

> This was supposed to be a short one-shot. I already wrote two chapters for it in one day and intend to do another as day 26 of Febuwhump. Keep an eye out for that one coming soon.

It was supposed to be a simple training session for the Divine Champions. That’s how the king had phrased it anyway. But what had started out as just that now felt very much the opposite. 

All it had taken was an unnoticed pool of malice, a sign of Ganon’s growing power in the land, and a misstep from Daruk. The malice had smothered the Goron Champion in seconds, covering him with its shifting ichor. As the malice had crept over his face, his eyes had snagged on a bright blue tunic and a sword which glinted in the sunlight, and Daruk gave a mighty roar. 

The other champions, along with the Princess, all turned just in time to see the malice cover him completely. Urbosa was quick to react, placing herself between the malice-riddled Goron and Zelda, but Link was faster. The Princess had been within easy reach as he flung a hand out and shoved her back a few paces. He ignored the cry of surprise as she stumbled backward, focusing all his attention on what lay ahead. Urbosa threw him a glance. “Your job is to protect the Princess, get her out of here!” she called over as she charged ahead of the Hylian champion. 

The other three champions had surged forward as one then, putting into practice the very formation they were supposed to be focusing on today. If only Link had had the time to observe them, he would have been able to see where they were lacking. As it was, he turned on his heel and dashed towards his charge. Urging her on ahead of him, Link dared a glance behind him in dismay. Daruk was thrashing the other champions, having already thrown Mipha aside like a twig. 

A jolt of panic ran through Link as he realised that Daruk was on the move, heading straight towards them. “Princess, move!” he shouted, sprinting up beside her and snagging her wrist, royal etiquette be damned. Her head snapped to face him at the sound of his voice, but she did not stop running. It was probably the loudest she’d ever heard him, so he didn’t blame her, but now was not the time. He almost told her as much when Revali’s voice cut across the plain. “Princess, Hero, look out!” 

That was all the warning they received before something heavy impacted just shy of them and sent them both tumbling forward. Link barely managed to regain his footing, peering over his shoulder to see a boulder where they had been standing not two seconds ago. The boulder was followed by the roiling malice-covered form of Daruk as he slammed into the ground, knocking Link from his feet once again. 

The impact had thrown Link away from the Princess. If Daruk leapt for her now, Link would be too far away to stop him! He scrambled toward his fabled sword, which had been flung from his grasp in the chaos, and was pulling his feet under him when a third booming impact sounded.

Bone shattered as a thick, heavy fist smashed into Link’s leg. He screamed, pain blinding him as that same fist closed around his leg, grinding bone against bone and lifted him into the air. Distantly, he heard the other champions calling out to Daruk, screaming at him to let go, to fight the malice. Link himself could say none of these things as his throat tightened with fear. He twisted in Daruk’s grip, ignoring the white hot pain in his leg, and looked up into the inky blank face of the Goron Champion. 

“Daruk, please,” he managed to rasp as tears threatened to fill his vision. 

In response, Daruk bellowed like a mauled lynel and hurled his quarry across the training ground. Revali sped through the air, hoping to catch Link as he was tossed like a ragdoll. He swooped up, just brushing against Link’s outstretched fingers, before the young Hylian crashed into an outcropping of rock and crumpled to the ground. Zelda screamed a warning as Daruk came barrelling towards the injured hero. 

~x~

Undeterred by their earlier failing, the three remaining champions closed ranks around their corrupted ally and began their attack. While they kept him busy, Zelda scurried over to where Link was laid in a heap of tangled limbs. “Link?” she whispered as she knelt beside him. “Link, wake up.”

With shaking hands, the Princess reached out to her fallen knight. He didn’t stir as she pulled on his shoulder, turning him onto his back and cradling his head in her lap. Tears pricked her eyes as she took stock of the damage. Stark white bone stuck out of a mangled wound on his left forearm, instantly drawing her eye and turning her stomach. Swallowing down nausea, Zelda tried to remember the tomes Impa had snuck her on healing and medicine. 

Infection! She needed to wrap the wound lest the bone become infected. She cast about for anything to use as a bandage before noticing the blood already covering her long, loose sleeves. They would have to do. 

She risked a glance at the champions, noting that Daruk seemed to be tiring at least a little, and hooked a small blade she’d had concealed in her boot into the seam of her sleeve. The knife made quick work of it, slicing through the thread like butter and leaving her with a decent amount of fabric with which to work. She looked down at the pale face of her appointed knight. “It’s not as easy as it sounded on paper,” she admitted, as she wrapped the fabric haphazardly around his arm, creating a bulky, but effective cover for it. 

As she tied it off, Link’s brows pinched together and his breath hitched. Her hands froze over him as she waited to see if he would waken. It would probably be better if he didn’t, to be honest. 

Behind her, the sounds of fighting dimmed. Turning to look over her shoulder, Zelda watched as the last of the malice melted from Daruk’s form and the Goron blinked in confusion. He staggered a few steps before Urbosa caught him, urging him to take it easy. “Mipha,” Zelda called, “help him!”

The Zora Champion turned at the sound of her name, and a look of dread washed over her as she saw Link. She rushed over to them, falling to her knees beside Zelda. “What are his injuries?” she asked, her voice cracking as she tried to stay focused.  
“His arm is broken. I wrapped it as best I could. I don’t know what else is wrong but he won’t wake up.” Her breath caught in her throat before she turned to the other girl. “Mipha, you have to heal him.”

Slowly, Mipha shook her head. “I don’t think I can heal all this,” she said quietly as her eyes tracked along his broken body.

“What do you mean, you can’t heal him?” Revali’s voice made them both jump as he stalked up behind them, fire in his eyes. 

Mipha blinked away tears. “There are a lot of broken bones, if I try to heal them now without proper care, I could do more damage than good.” She looked up as Urbosa approached. “We need to get him to someone who can set these bones,” she said. 

Nodding her understanding, Urbosa rested a hand on Zelda’s shoulder. “We need to move quickly then. Let me take him, Little Bird.” Zelda didn’t move for a moment, only carding her fingers through Link’s blond locks and staring at the blood streaming from his temple. But when Urbosa squeezed gently, she came back to herself, shaking away the feeling and letting the taller woman stoop down to take Link in her arms.


	2. The Heavy Burden of Regret

It was another full day before Link awoke. Sunlight warmed his cheek as he blinked awake, lazily taking in the furniture and trinkets which made up his living quarters within the castle. Honestly, he didn’t use it that much beyond somewhere to keep his stuff, so it was a vague surprise to wake up in his own bed. 

As his eyes roamed back across the room, his brain caught up with him and he noticed the two anomalies. Long golden hair tumbled down and leaned against a sleek red shoulder. He blinked again, sure his mind was playing tricks, and tried to lift himself up to get a better look at the two princesses asleep, curled up on the floor against the far wall. 

Pain suddenly flared up to greet him, stealing his breath and forcing a groan from him. He flopped back onto the bed, clutching his still throbbing arm against his equally throbbing ribs. He winced as a voice tentatively called out. “Link? Mipha said as she rose to her feet. She was at his side in a heartbeat, a brilliant smile gracing her pretty face. “Thank goodness you’re awake. You had us worried when you didn’t wake this morning.” 

Link felt a deep blush flood his cheeks and found himself cursing that same shaft of sunlight for lighting his embarrassment. “Sorry,” he managed to mumble, trying to push himself upright once again. 

Mipha’s hand caught his shoulder gently. “Please, stay still, Link. I’m sorry, I wasn’t able to heal all of your injuries.” The Zora princess looked down at her hands, ashamed. “I’m not yet used to healing broken bones. They will still take time to heal fully.”

A pang of concern struck deep within Link and his eyes flickered over to the other figure hovering by the door. Zelda seemed to feel his eyes on her, and turned to face him. There was an unreadable look on her face, but it made Link’s heart ache all the same. She met his eyes for a second before glancing around the room, looking anywhere but at him. With her appointed knight out of action, she would be confined to the castle once more. Link felt a dreadful shame take root in the pit of his stomach. She must hate him for trapping her here, a place more prison than palace to the curious young princess. 

Link tried to apologise once more, but the words died on his tongue as Zelda took a breath and faced him. “Thank you,” she said, the lofty tone she used for princessly duties colouring her voice, “you fought valiantly to protect Hyrule. I should let you rest now. Please, do accept my wishes for your speedy recovery.” Then she turned on her heel and scurried out of the room. 

His chest tightened inexplicably as Link watched the door slam shut behind her. An uneasy silence fell over the remaining occupants as Link swallowed down a lump in his throat. Finally, Mipha let out a quiet sigh. “She cares for you quite deeply, you know,” she said as she carefully sat down on the edge of Link’s bed, twining her fingers between his own. “I didn’t see it before, but she stayed by your side the whole time as I worked.”

“Thank you,” Link whispered, tapping the back of her hand with a slender finger, as he had so many times in their youth. The corner of her mouth twitched in a small smile as she repeated the gesture in return before squeezing his hand tight. They stayed like that a short while before Link could stand it no more. “How long do you think it’ll take to heal?” he asked after shifting uncomfortably for about the fifth time. 

Mipha chuckled, shaking her head. “Still that same energetic little boy underneath it all, aren’t you?” she laughed. Her hand came to rest ever so lightly over his leg as her smile dimmed. “The rest were quite clean breaks, from what I could tell. If I keep working on them, they should be healed within a few weeks. It’s your leg I’m most worried about. It will need a lot of patience to fuse the bone fragments back together without weakening it.” She looked up at him, apologetically. “It could be a couple of months before you can walk without a crutch.”

Link groaned and threw an arm over his face. “A couple of months?” he whined. 

“I’m sorry, Link, I really am. But I know you. If I don’t do this properly and take the time I need, you’ll be left with weaknesses in the bone and as soon as you do something ridiculous like jump off a mountainside, you’ll be crippled completely. We need you at your best in this fight.”

Well… when she put it that way. 

True to her word, Mipha insisted that he use a crutch for the next two months, and spent most of that time as an honoured guest in the castle as she slowly knitted Link’s bones back together. After the first week of healer-demanded bedrest, Link was finally allowed to make the short journey out onto the terrace with the other champions. 

They had chosen one which didn’t require him to use the stairs, thank Hylia, but all the same, Link was glad of the chair when he finally reached the terrace. He all but collapsed into it as Revali, much quieter than usual, patiently held out his hand for Link’s crutch. “I’ll put it here,” the Rito said as he made a show of balancing it against a table within easy reach. Link mumbled a thank you, surprised by the uncharacteristic show of kindness from the most preening member of the Champions. 

Urbosa beamed from where she had been leaning against the wall. “It’s good to see you up and about, Link. How are you feeling?” she asked, breaking the awkward tension as easily as only a queen could.

“I’m a lot better, thank you.I should be back to training in no time,” Link tried to reassure them, forcing what he hoped was a confident smile onto his face. At Urbosa’s side, he spotted the Princess looking less than convinced. Her delicate features were pulled into a frown and Link felt his stomach sink. He wasn’t healing fast enough, he knew that, and while ever he was stuck using a crutch, she was stuck in the castle. 

His concerns over the Princess were swept aside as Link noticed a distinctly missing presence. “Where’s Daruk?” he asked, turning as best he could to look for him. 

Urbosa’s smile had faded to a thunderous glower when he looked back at her. “He didn’t think you’d want him here,” she muttered, rolling her eyes in a clear show of disbelief. To be honest, Link hadn’t been sure he did want the Goron champion here before he arrived, but now the place felt empty without his cheery presence. 

Shaking his head, Link said, “It wasn’t his fault, he needs to know that. I should have -”

“Wasn’t yours either,” Revali cut in, folding his wings across his chest. The Rito sighed. “You know what, he needs to hear this from you. I’ll go get the stubborn old boulder,” he announced, leaping into the air and circling off around the castle. 

Urbosa rolled her eyes once more. “Honestly, you boys,” she tutted as she took her place across the table from Link. “Not one of you able to express your feelings in a healthy manner.” She flicked her gaze over to the two young women still hovering around the edges of the terrace. “You two are barely any better, come over here and join us for a civilised tea, at least,” she demanded. Zelda and Mipha shared an awkward grin with one another, giggling at the older woman’s bluntness, before taking their seats around the table. 

Carefully, Zelda sat down to Link’s left, avoiding brushing against his still bandaged arm. They sat quietly for a while, letting Urbosa and Mipha do the talking for them before she turned slightly to him. “I’m glad you’re feeling better, Link,” she said quietly, her bright green eyes finding his with a smile. Not for the first time, Link felt his breath catch in his throat as he tried to say something, anything, in reply. Instead he ducked his head in a jerky nod, feeling his face heat up. He could almost hear the eye roll in Zelda’s words as he stared at his plate. “I’ve missed your excellent conversations.”

Link’s head shot up as he caught on, his face flushing an even deeper red as the three women around the table began to laugh openly at him. Maybe he should have asked Revali to carry him to Daruk, it would have been less embarrassing than this!


End file.
